Making a circle to work stitches into is essential crochet know-how if you want to make a
Granny Square or any piece of crochet worked in the round.
The easiest way to begin working in the round is use
chain stitches to make a 'loop' into which the stitches of the first round can be worked. You can made a loop of any size by varying the number of chains you use. Most patterns will begin with a loop made using 4 chains, with around 8 to 12 stitches worked into it, but you can use more chains to made a bigger center space, or to accommodate more stitches.
This method also creates a uniform 'hole' or center space, useful when making lots of the same motif.
Tutorial:
Begin with a length of chains, I've made 6 chains here so the the circle of loop is a little larger, so you can clearly see what I'm doing.
To form a circle with the chains all you need to do is make a
slip stitch into the first chain. That's the one right next to the
slip knot.
As you can see, this forms a nice round circle, which you can begin working stitches into.
All you need to do is work the correct number of chains to make the turning chain for the stitch you are using. Here I worked 3 chains and then started working treble (US double) crochets into the circle.
And here is another example where I worked 1 chain and then started working double (US single) crochets into the circle.
Next Steps:
✽ Find out how to
work into a chain to create circles with little or no centre gap
✽ Find out how to
make a magic loop
✽ Find out how to
end a round
